GIAC Applied Knowledge Certifications
Applied Knowledge Certifications truly test your caliber and set you apart from your peers in the field of cybersecurity.
GIAC Applied Knowledge Certifications are designed to provide a more comprehensive and rigorous assessment of knowledge and skills. GIAC Applied Knowledge certifications take testing to the next level. These certifications are:
- Intended to provide candidates with a more thorough understanding of a wide range of topics and subject matter
- 100% CyberLive and are designed to push beyond individual technical skills. CyberLive questions require candidates to synthesize their skills and use them to solve real-world challenges in a virtual machine environment.
- Ideal for candidates who wish to challenge themselves and demonstrate their mastery of a subject
- Stackable with GIAC Practitioner Certifications, enabling candidates to build their Portfolios to become a GIAC Security Professional (GSP) and/or a GIAC Security Expert (GSE)
CyberLive: Real labs. Real tools. Real skills.
CyberLive is a hands-on exam format that replaces traditional multiple-choice testing with performance-based challenges in realistic lab environments to validate real-world capability.
Virtual Machines:
Full-scale lab systems that behave like physical computers: install, attack, defend, and run services.
Real Security Tools:
Exact tools used by professionals every day including all the quirks and challenges
Authentic Code:
Real code, real exploits, real impacts
Curious about what sets the GIAC Applied Knowledge Exams apart?
Rich Green breaks it down in this short but punchy video. Unlike traditional multiple-choice formats, these exams are 100% cyber live—you’ll be dropped into a virtual machine and expected to prove your skills in real time. From hands-on challenges to multi-step tasks, this is where theory meets true practitioner-level execution. Whether you're aiming for the GSP, GSE, or just want to level up, this is how you show you can actually do the work.
Applied Knowledge Certifications
GIAC’s NEW Applied Knowledge Certifications truly test your caliber and set you apart from your peers. Designed to be challenging, these new certification exams require you to apply your technical expertise and hands-on experience to solve complex security scenarios. Courses that include a "primary fit course" designation have the most closely aligned content for the exam but is not inclusive of all the content, tools, and platforms that will be included in testing on the Applied Knowledge exam.
How to Prepare for Applied Knowledge Certifications
Unlike our traditional GIAC Practitioner Exams, preparation for GIAC Applied Knowledge exams is not directly linked to a specific affiliate training course. To prepare for a GIAC Applied Knowledge Certifications, GIAC recommends that candidates review the content within the primary fit affiliate course, however, candidates should not rely on this course alone. Along with content and labs included in primary fit course, candidates should review the Areas Covered list found on each Applied Knowledge certification page. Additionally, work experience will also equip candidates for success.
Level Up with GIAC Applied Knowledge Exams
These aren’t multiple-choice tests — they’re full hands-on CyberLive experiences. Rich Greene shares his personal journey, lessons learned, and why GIAC Applied Knowledge Exams are the ultimate validation of real-world cybersecurity skills.
Are You Ready for an Applied Knowledge Exam?
These hypothetical exam takers were created to showcase various backgrounds and preparation methods. Candidates may use these examples to better understand how they are projected to perform on an Applied Knowledge exam.
Erik - Cybersecurity Rockstar
Erik is a renowned cyber expert and multi-time winner of Capture-the-Flag (CTF) competitions demonstrated their expertise by taking an Applied Knowledge exam in their area of proficiency without taking the affiliate partner primary fit course. This individual is a true cybersecurity rockstar. Remarkably, the expert passed the exam on their first attempt, showcasing their exceptional skills and knowledge in the field.
Kendra - Recent College Graduate
Kendra is a recent college graduate with a degree in computer science and exceptional aptitude and talent, enrolled in her first SANS class. On day 6 of the course, she led her team to victory in the Capture-the-Flag (CTF) exercise. During her certification attempt, the student demonstrated outstanding performance and passed with remarkable scores.
Ravi - Cybersecurity Practitioner With 10 Years Experience
A cyber practitioner with a decade of technical experience in the industry enrolled in a SANS course and demonstrated exceptional skills in the labs. As a result, Ravi excelled in the practitioner level GIAC exam with outstanding marks. The practitioner was confident that they could adapt the techniques learned in the labs to new and unique environments without further instruction. However, when attempting the Applied Knowledge exam, Ravi fell just short of passing and ultimately failed.
Jason - Cybersecurity Practitioner
Jason is new to cybersecurity and enrolled in their first SANS course, but failed to complete all the labs in class. Consequently, he struggled to apply the techniques learned in class to unfamiliar scenarios in his own environment. Despite this, he managed to pass the certification on his first attempt, with a score in the upper 70s. Encouraged, Jason felt ready for a specialist exam, and attempted it two weeks later using his course index. Unfortunately, he failed. In a second attempt, Jason revisited the course labs but failed again.
Olivia - 20 Years Cybersecurity Experience
Olivia has two decades of experience in cybersecurity and took a course in their area of expertise. Olivia’s employer used an expensive commercial suite to perform the tasks covered in the course for the past five years. While Olivia's extensive experience and familiarity with the domain enabled them to pass the primary fit affiliated certification exam, they were unable to pass the specialist exam due to unfamiliarity with the tools available. Her employer's expensive commercial suite was not available for her to use during the exam and Olivia was unaware of any other methods to solve the challenges, which resulted in her failing the exam.
Sarah - Cybersecurity Rockstar
Sarah is an experienced and highly skilled cybersecurity professional enrolled in a course in an unfamiliar domain. Due to their proficiency in taking certification exams, they passed the primary best fit certification exam with ease. Overconfident, Sarah assumed that passing the specialist exam would be a breeze since she paid attention to the labs. However, Sarah failed the first specialist exam attempt, underestimating its difficulty. On impulse, she purchased a retake, but with a full-time job and busy family life, she lacked the time to delve deeper into an unfamiliar domain. Despite being exposed to the types of challenges on the exam, Sarah failed her second attempt primarily due to a lack of additional study time.